11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests
It’s finally here! We have gotten all our shopping done. All the presents are wrapped. The tree has been decorated and all the cleaning is finished. We are preparing for our guests — with family members visiting from out of town. Now maybe we can take a few minutes, to remind ourselves of the true “reason for the season.” The birth of our Savior — Jesus Christ. Jesus was given to free us from sin. I can’t think of a better reason to celebrate. So when you open each gift on Christmas morning, remember to give thanks to God for the greatest gift of all. Glory to God in the highest!
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
As my son headed out the door, my husband called up the stairs to me, “you’d better pray for him.” I had just gotten the younger children off to school and was headed for my bed. I had taken some pain medication for an ear infection and was going to bed to get some rest. Honestly, it never occurred to me to pray for him. My focus was on the pain in my ear. Just as I was about to close my eyes and drift off to sleep, I remembered last weeks sermon. In which Pastor preached a message entitled; “We are in a warfare.”
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had better take this opportunity to pray for my son. I wondered, how many times the enemy has taken advantage of times like these to advance his position in the battle he rages against me? It occurred to me that he has been able to deceive me in this area often. I was captured by the enemy. I was not alert. I was unprepared for battle. While I was caught off guard, the enemy may have been able to gain territory in my son’s life.
But, God had a strategy of His own.
Even though I was unprepared for battle, my husband was ready. It always occurs to him to pray. He prays about everything. It doesn’t matter what the situation may be. Sometimes, I pray after the fact. By then, I am sometimes to weak for battle. As Pastor preached; we need to get ready to battle, by putting on the whole armor of God. We are to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. We have unrestrained power in the Lord.
Why are we still weak? There is no reason for us to be weak when we can gain strength. God provides the armor. We need to put it on. Be prepared. The enemy is well prepared. I wonder how many battles we have lost, by being unprepared? The devil uses trickery to fight us. He doesn’t fight fair or by the book. He’s a skilled trickster.
We often get caught off guard by focusing on our problem. Our attention is focused on the problem and not the problem solver. God had given us all that we need to prepare for battle. We need to get ready, its not going to come by osmosis–a gradual absorption. We have got to do something. Once we put on the whole armor of God, we are able to stand against the devil’s schemes .
We can no longer be ignorant of the fact that we a in a war. To remain ignorant is to remain defeated. And that’s just where the devil wants to us to be.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, today I put on the whole armor of God. Thank you for not leaving me defenseless against the enemy. With the full armor of God, I can stand my ground. I will not be afraid because Your mighty power is unlimited and unrestrained. Thank you for giving me the strength and courage to fight the battle. IN JESUS’ NAME, AMEN.
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God looked out across eternity, He saw you. He saw everything He had created and everything He would create around you. He saw the specific need on this earth that He would make you to meet. He saw the full set of traits and abilities that you would need in order to complete His purpose for your life. He knew what kind of environment that would be necessary for you to properly develop the gifts He would give you.
God looked … and then He created. He created you. You! And God looked at you and said, “This is good.”
Do you have the same opinion of yourself? Do you agree with God’s opinion of you? It’s important that you appreciate the way God created you because other people are going to treat you the way you treat yourself. They will respect you only to the degree that you respect yourself.
If you are attracting people who don’t treat you well, I’m sorry but you are the prime suspect in that case. What kind of message are you sending that allows them to treat you poorly?
In order for people to treat you well, there must be something deep inside of you that sends out a signal saying, “I am somebody because God made me to be somebody.” When you send a signal like that other people pick up on it.
There’s something your spirit exudes that gives you presence with others. There’s a quality of inner strength that makes you attractive. It causes other people to recognize you, to pay attention to you, to ask when you walk into a room, “Who is she?” They won’t be asking because your dress is so stunning, but because your character is so magnetic. Projecting that kind of strength is not arrogance or pride. It is healthy self-esteem and the power of God’s Spirit within you.
The way you appreciate yourself impacts everything you do. It affects the way you sit in a classroom, or apply for a job, or talk to people at a social function, or go about the ministry God has called you to undertake. It even affects the way you pray and the way you study God’s Word. If you think that your are a nobody with no future and no value, you are going to pray with less power and suspect that the promises of God are for everybody else but you.
God wants you to appreciate who He made you to be and to develop what He gave you. He doesn’t want you to try to exchange what He gave you for what He gave someone else. You are a unique blend of talents and giftings and character; and you have a unique destiny upon this earth.
20Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams.
There have been a lot of amazing technical changes happening in the world today. Just look at the ever changing world of technology. Who would have thought some fifty years ago, that we would be using the telephone without wires? I’m sure Alexander Graham Bell would be amazed to see how far the telephone has evolved. Most of our phones today have mini computers in them. I remember not long ago, cordless phones were a big deal. Certainly, no one expected to have a cordless computer on their lap.
Today, most of us have our own personal phone connected to our hips at all times. We dare not leave home without it. And, we have become so afraid to miss a call; we now have a phone attachment to our ears. Not to mention, almost every home in America has a computer. Amazing!
Moreover, the medical world has made great advances too. Surgeries are much less invasive today. My husband had his appendix removed using a laparoscopic laser; which only requires three small incisions to the abdomen. When I was able to see him after recovery, he had three (small) band-aids covering the wounds. The recovery time after surgery was around two weeks. It would have taken two months if the surgery had been done the old-fashioned way by making a long surgical cut. Totally amazing!
Who would have thought any of these things could be possible? There is an amazing power on the inside of us. A power that is far above all that we could ask or think–above our highest hopes, dreams or imaginations.
What is the power working in us? 1 Corinthians 6:19, tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Spirit of God. We have Almighty God living on the inside of us. Wow! With that kind of power on the inside of you, what is it you are asking God to do?
Is there anything too hard for God? He has no limitations. Often, the only limitations we have are the ones we place on ourselves. Sometimes, the dreams we have are too small. God is able to do above and beyond all that we dare ask or think. What is it you are able to think? God is able to do that too.
God has amazing things He wants to use us to do. Things, we think we can only dream about. The power of God is working in you; pushing you to do the amazing. Are you stopping short of what God has for you? If you would only commit unto Him that which you are hoping and dreaming for, He wants to do amazing through you, for you and in you.
You can be all that God desires you to be. You can do all that God desires you to do, according to the “Power” working within you. Tap in. Don’t faint. Don’t quit. Don’t give-in and Don’t give out.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to tap into the power working on the inside of me. I give you all my hopes, dreams and thoughts. Use me for your glory and honor, that I may fulfill your purpose for my life. IN JESUS’ NAME, AMEN.
BEVALUED 